Community Manager: Transform South Jersey

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1 Community Manager: Transform South Jersey The Community Manager is an exciting opportunity for an energetic community relationship builder to organize and lead a collaborative of five South Jersey communities engaged in Heart & Soul work (Heart & Soul Network) in partnership with the Orton Family Foundation. The Community Manager will convene a collaborative of South Jersey funders and partners (Guiding Team) to support the Heart & Soul work including place-based philanthropy strategies in the eight southern counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem. Together, this work is the Transform South Jersey initiative. Employed by: Reports to: Status: Location: Community Foundation of South Jersey an affiliate of the Community Foundation of New Jersey Executive Director Full time, exempt employee Haddonfield, NJ (flexible) The Community Manager at the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) will have the capacity and willingness to be trained in the Community Heart & Soul model, including becoming a certified Heart & Soul coach. The Community Manager will exercise leadership and possess experience in community organizing, facilitation, knowledge building, and evaluation. Generally, the work encompasses supporting the Heart & Soul process in the five communities, connecting citizen leaders from the five municipalities to each other, building capacity for community improvement work, supporting a community endowment building effort in each community, and supporting strategic learning from the initiative. Heart & Soul Work Neighbors hold the heart and soul of South Jersey communities. CFSJ proposes to support neighbors in building capital for their places and applying themselves and directing civic energy to shape the future of communities by creating a shared sense of belonging, identifying and supporting neighbors to exercise 1

2 leadership, orientating local decision-making to resident action, and enriching available local capital to create prosperity. The Community Foundation of South Jersey is developing the Transform South Jersey initiative to increase social cohesion and build community capital in five targeted communities to be selected, with a population of less than 50,000. CFSJ will invest in local places by convening and partnering with a Guiding Team of South Jersey funders and supporters. The Guiding Team will select five local communities, support their efforts, and learn from their experience. The Community Manager will organize a learning and practice network (Heart & Soul Network) for community leadership from the selected communities who will utilize the Orton Family Foundation s Heart & Soul approach. The Orton Family Foundation outlines the Heart & Soul community planning process in the following steps for local communities: Phase 1 - Lay the Groundwork: Build a solid foundation by identifying partners and leaders, spreading the word, and developing a road map for successful Heart & Soul community engagement. Phase 2 - Explore Your Community: Gather residents stories and build relationships across divides. Identify what matters most, which leads to creation of Heart & Soul Statements. Examine how Statements are affected by community trends and conditions. Phase 3 - Make Decisions: Guided by Heart & Soul Statements, identify options for the future and base decisions on what matters most to everyone and best enhances and preserves the community s Heart & Soul. Phase 4 - Take Action: Partners and residents work together to take action and ownership. Heart & Soul Statements are applied to future decision-making and become part of the fabric of the community. Transform South Jersey The core elements of the Transform South Jersey initiative include: 1) Convening a Guiding Team of funders and partners to shape the Transform South Jersey initiative. 2) Educating South Jersey communities about the opportunity to participate in the process and receive funding for Community Heart & Soul. Outreach is directed toward networks of neighbors, elected officials and community organizations via earned media, one-on-one meetings, and other community news sources. 2

3 3) Educating local communities on the specifics of the Heart & Soul approach via a series of 8 one-day workshops in each county of South Jersey. Participation by five community leaders makes the community eligible to apply for a momentum building grant of $2,500. 4) Selecting five local communities to participate in the Heart & Soul process and benefit from $100,000 funding via response to a request for letters of interest with documented match of $25,000 held in a local community endowment fund. Communities must have a population under 50,000. 5) Coordinating the Heart & Soul process alongside the Orton Family Foundation in the five selected communities with a CFSJ full time Community Manager (community coach) and local site coordinators. 6) Convening the South Jersey Heart & Soul Network to connect the five communities. Provide a community of practice for building trust relationships with peers, and enrich the learning through leadership and storytelling coaching support. Connect resources and relationships from the Orton Family Foundation s national community of practice. 7) Supporting each of the five communities to establish local community endowment funds and seeded with start-up investments. 8) Understand lessons learned and impact. Community Manager Role The Community Manager provides convening and leadership capacity for CFSJ to act as a catalyst and container for the Transform South Jersey initiative. The Community Manager will be part of an effort to build a movement of engaged South Jersey residents. The Community Manager will have a passion and ability to practice inclusive community engagement. The role will support local communities to set and achieve their aspirations. The Community Manager will support strategies for strategic learning. The position will connect and advance high leverage activities connecting people and communities. Day to day, the Community Manager will assist with communicating the opportunity for communities to participate in the initiative. Once communities are selected the Community Manager will provide a network infrastructure by building relationships, organizing and facilitating meetings, and provide technical assistance. Regional network infrastructure is the opportunity to coordinate learnings and results among the selected Heart & Soul communities. In one selected community, the Community Manager will also act as a community coach by supporting a local convening agency and /or steering committee and a local coordinator to engage residents and build relationships 3

4 with formal and informal leaders. The Community Manager will have the opportunity to become a Heart & Soul certified coach. The Community Manager is a critical role for the Heart & Soul Network to aggregate experiences and identify systems change opportunities. With Heart & Soul partner communities, the Community Manager will connect them to best practices and support systemic approaches best addressed across municipal boundaries and silos of service. CFSJ and its partners on the Guiding Team will help develop workable strategies and leverage new resources that connect the communities to achieve aspirational visions and solve difficult challenges. Overall Goals With the Foundation Executive Director, conduct and cultivate the Foundation s general community leadership strategy. Cultivate strong networks with community leaders, other grantmakers and nonprofit organizations (grantseekers). Convene, broker and nurture strategic partnerships with local, regional and national groups. Cultivate and maintain a thorough understanding of community aspirations and opportunities. Shape the Community Foundation of South Jersey s processes and strategies on initiatives such as Transform South Jersey. This may include designing program goals, outcomes and grantmaking strategies; identifying funding partners and securing funds; overseeing implementation of grantmaking strategies; and developing and overseeing processes for monitoring, evaluation and capacity building for grantee communities. Represent the Foundation in funding collaboratives such as the Guiding Team and/or partnerships established by others as appropriate to advance CFSJ s leadership work. Ensure that community leadership initiative grants are evaluated and that the overall impact of the Transform South Jersey initiative is measured and reported per the Foundation s strategic plan and commitments to grantors. Consistently share lessons learned with board, staff, and community partners. Assure that lessons learned are integrated into the Community Foundation of South Jersey s culture and practices. 4

5 Provide periodic briefings for partners, board and committees to ensure that the Foundation stays abreast of community opportunities as well as challenges and trends in grantmaking. Represent the Foundation e.g., attend events, annual meetings, award ceremonies and other opportunities to increase the Foundation s visibility within the nonprofit community. Heart & Soul Network Support Heart & Soul teams in local communities by convening local leadership and coordinators across five communities, launch Heart & Soul communities through a competitive process in concert with the Orton Family Foundation. Maintain fidelity to the Heart & Soul model, participate in the national Heart & Soul community of practice, and participate in evaluation processes. Through the Heart & Soul Network support communities in securing resources needed to engage and act on results from Heart & Soul. Support local communities to identify, cultivate and secure funds for Heart & Soul strategies in coordination with the Guiding Team, CFSJ staff, and board. Create vertical relationships (agency, town, state, and region) to secure resources e.g. funding, social capital, individual capital, etc. Develop and manage foundation grants that fund the Transform South Jersey Initiative. Guiding Team Develop the criteria, recruit participants, and develop a charter for the Guiding Team inclusive of founding funders and other partners interested in supporting Heart & Soul communities. Convene the Guiding Team on a quarterly or other agreed upon meeting schedule. Establish policies and procedures which guide and promote the effective recruitment, training, orientation and utilization of the Guiding Team members. Analyze and lead the planning, execution and management of the Community Foundation of South Jersey Transform South Jersey initiative in conjunction with the Guiding Team and community stakeholders (partners, clients, investors, and board members.). Provide leadership and support to the Guiding Team, ensuring they have the appropriate information to make strategic decisions regarding direction and funding. Personally, and in partnership with the Executive Director and Guiding Team members cultivate and enhance strong relationships with individuals and organizations critical to the achievement of the Transform South Jersey initiative. 5

6 Facilitate the evaluation of the Transform South Jersey initiative, ensuring documentation of measurable results. With a consulting partner, establish, gather, analyze and report appropriate data to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of Transform South Jersey. Develop appropriate metrics and track results including grant reporting requirements. Manage contracts, Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs), and consulting agreements for Transform South Jersey and other community leadership initiatives to ensure compliance to requirements and create maximum community benefit. Skills Minimum of a bachelor s degree; graduate degree preferred. Capacity to exercise leadership to form deep linkages in community. Strong organizational and project management skills. Excellent communication skills, both public speaking and written; including the ability to analyze, to think critically, and to explain alternatives clearly. Multi-tasking skills and ability to juggle many tasks at once. Capacity to develop evaluation tools. Competencies Creates Relationships. Is comfortable actively listening and developing the gifts, talents, and passions of all neighbors and partners. Accepts Responsibility. Holds one s self accountable for delivering work in a timely, accurate manner; admits and takes responsibility for mistakes. Champions and Adapts with Change. Accepts change as a normal part of doing business, maintaining a positive attitude and exhibiting constructive work behaviors during periods of transition. Champions Service. Provides timely and professional service to both internal and external customers (including donors, foundations, community partners, corporations engaged in philanthropy), and neighbors. Displays Emotional Intelligence. Conveys ideas clearly and succinctly; gauges audiences effectively, tailoring the message appropriately to each audience; is comfortable interacting with people at all levels of the organization. Displays Creativity. Displays and encourages creativity and innovation to drive progress; is comfortable taking reasonable risks. Sees Abundance. Encourages others to pursue and achieve their goals; helps others recognize opportunities to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Makes Accurate Judgments and Decisions. Takes a reasoned, logical approach in making judgments and decisions; carefully reviews available facts and information before reaching any conclusion. Appreciates and Strives to Solve Complex Problems. Methodically breaks down complex problems into manageable components in order to define and formulate a clear solution. 6

7 To Apply Submit a cover letter and resume to hiring@communityfoundationsj.org by February 28 and use the following subject line: Community Manager CFSJ: Your Last Name, Your First Name. The Community Foundation of South Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds. No telephone inquiries please. 7